The control of undesired vegetation is extremely important in achieving high crop efficiency. Achievement of selective control of the growth of weeds especially in such useful crops as rice, soybeans, sugar beets, corn, potatoes, wheat, barley, tomatoes and plantation crops among others is very desirable. Unchecked weed growth in such useful crops can cause significant reduction in productivity and thereby result in increased costs to the consumers. The control of undesired vegetation in noncrop areas is also important. The need for finding products that achieve such results continues to be commercially important.
Combinations of herbicides are typically used to broaden the spectrum of plant control or enhance the level of control of any given species through additive effect. Certain rare combinations surprisingly give a greater-than-additive or synergistic effect on weeds or a less-than-additive or safening effect on the crop. The present invention relates to several such valuable combinations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,196 discloses 2-[4-(methylsulfonyl)-2-nitrobenzoyl]-1,3-cyclohexanedione (named as 2-(2'-nitro-4'-methylsulfonylbenzoyl)-1,3-cyclohexanedione) and its herbicidal utility, but this reference does not disclosure the herbicidal mixtures of the present invention or their surprising crop-safening effect in corn.